Dr. Lester Crawford, a research professor at Georgetown and director of the Georgetown University Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, was appointed to the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Food Safety on Sept. 25. WHO Director General Gro Harlem Brundtland invited Crawford to serve for four years on the panel, the university announced Oct. 2. WHO is a United Nations organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that deals with health and safety issues around the world. Its various expert panels deal with a number of topics such as AIDS and nutrition. Dr. Fridz Kaferstein, who works at the WHO headquarters, said, “Professor Crawford, with his experience, had made considerable contributions.” Crawford said, “I am very enthused about this opportunity for service. Food-born disease continues to be a major problem not only in developing countries, but also in developed countries, like the United States,” he said. Crawford also said he was “looking forward to working under Brundtland, who is not only the first woman director of WHO, but also the former prime minister of Norway.” ark Rom, acting director of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, said, “We are delighted to learn of Crawford’s appointment. His leadership experience and expertise in food safety issues will provide significant contributions to the work of the World Health Organization.” “This is a very important event for the university; it doesn’t happen to everyone,” Kaferstein said.